When do you begin planning for retirement? Now is a good time to start. If you do not have a plan, it’s time to get started. The more time you have until retirement, the more wealth you can accumulate. We will present some options to consider. Education As we move into other finer aspects of preparing our long-term financial plan, we once again must understand all of our potential options. Preparing a long-term financial plan must include retirement planning, regardless of the amount of … [Read more...] about How to Plan for a Comfortable Retirement
Polara Health
Have You Considered Volunteering in Your Community?
Volunteering is an important way for senior citizens to stay connected and engaged in their communities. It not only provides an opportunity to give back, but also helps seniors to maintain social connections, stay active, and continue to learn and grow. One of the main benefits of volunteering for seniors is the opportunity to socialize and make new friends. According to a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, older adults who volunteer have higher levels of social … [Read more...] about Have You Considered Volunteering in Your Community?
Maximize Tax Savings with Health Benefits
Many employer-sponsored health plans offer a variety of options all focused on reducing your tax liability. Health plan premiums are generally paid with pre-tax dollars, reducing your tax liability. The type of plan you choose can have other tax savings benefits. Flexible Spending Account A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) can be used to pay for dependent care as well as medical expenses. Contributions are made pre-tax, reducing your tax liability. If you plan on using it for dependent … [Read more...] about Maximize Tax Savings with Health Benefits
How to Minimize Taxes
This is not meant to be an all-in total tax guide, but rather some valuable high-level education on taxes to help you dig deeper and minimize your tax liability. As every situation is different, a tax expert should be consulted. The best place to start is to begin to educate yourself as to how may be the best way to reduce your tax liability. Do you feel that you overpay? Do you do any tax planning? What is the potential impact of taxes on retirement? Investing? Estate planning? Do you know … [Read more...] about How to Minimize Taxes
Concepts to Consider for the New Year
How do we stick to our New Year’s resolutions for 2023? Do we have the expectation that life is starting again on Jan. 1? Are we waiting for the new year to push a reset button on our lives? Eventually we realize that New Year’s resolutions don’t always work. They may be effective for a while, but we don’t stick to them for long. Is there a better idea: New Year’s Concepts? To be more specific, there are 20 concepts from the Dalai Lama that are universal. Instead of focusing on fixed goals … [Read more...] about Concepts to Consider for the New Year
Ways to Find Joy, Balance During the Holidays
The holiday season offers many opportunities to spend quality time with family and friends. If the family gatherings, the endless parties and the shopping get you down, you’re hardly alone. While it might take some conscious effort on your part, you can reduce your stress and find joy throughout the season. Keep your expectations modest. Don’t get hung up on what the holidays are supposed to be and how you’re supposed to feel. Worry less about the holiday spirit and take the holidays as they … [Read more...] about Ways to Find Joy, Balance During the Holidays
Treating Patients at the Intersection of Physical and Mental Health
Growing national research on the social determinants of health suggests that access to quality health care contributes only 20% to an individual’s overall health and well-being, while social risk factors, behaviors and physical environment contribute 80%. The social determinants of health (SDH) are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of … [Read more...] about Treating Patients at the Intersection of Physical and Mental Health
Volunteer Companions Needed for Isolated Seniors
You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. Census Bureau’s July 2022 population estimate reports that 53% of Yavapai County’s population is concentrated in the Quad Cities area. Nearly 34% of our 122,370 Quad Cities neighbors are age 65 or older. That’s 41,606 seniors, 3,328 of whom live in poverty. Our county’s 65+ population is nearly 32% of 232,400 residents, while state-wide, it’s 18%. 18,600 (8%) of seniors are widowed. Why is this data important? Prescott became a retirement … [Read more...] about Volunteer Companions Needed for Isolated Seniors
Preventing Suicide Through Connectedness
September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Now more than ever we need your help to stay connected. This Suicide Prevention Month, we ask our community to connect and reach for support when needed. While support may look different to each individual, Suicide Prevention Month highlights the various factors that play into suicide prevention. It includes strengthening communication skills to safely talk with others about suicide, taking precautions to safely store lethal means such as … [Read more...] about Preventing Suicide Through Connectedness
How Proper Debt Management Will Make You Wealthy, Part II
In last month’s column, we discussed the different kinds of debt. In this column, Part II of our discussion on eliminating debt, we will explore how to create a foundation for building wealth. If you missed Part I, you can read it here: https://quadcitiesbusinessnews.com/how-proper-debt-management-will-make-you-wealthy/. Get Mad The first step for eliminating debt is getting mad. You must get mad at the banks, credit card companies and yourself. Paying them all that interest is working for … [Read more...] about How Proper Debt Management Will Make You Wealthy, Part II
